Tanzania

Welcome to VIPsight Africa - Tanzania


Aidan G. Msafiri

9 July 2013

INVESTING IN HUMAN CAPITAL: A PREREQUISITE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND POVERTY REDUCTION IN TANZANIA

Aidan G. Msafiri

Terminology

Human capital

Human resources are the people who constitute the workforce of an organisation, society, business or nation.1 Human capital is the aptitudes, skills, and competencies necessary for effective, integral, transformative and efficient administration and sustainable development. Human capital is the conditio sine qua non for the sustainable use and management of renewable and non-renewable resources.

Natural resources

Natural resources are the useful physical, biological, geological and environmental endowments and riches or material found on or below the earth’s crust.2 They include forests, soil, fauna, mineral deposits such as gold, diamonds, oil, natural gas, fresh water, seas, oceans and raw materials. Such naturally occuring riches ought to be sustainably and efficiently used for meeting the needs of humans, and all beings, not only in this generation but in generations to come.

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VIPsight Archives Africa - Tanzania

19 June 2011

CLIMATE JUSTICE FOR SUSTAINABLE PEACE IN AFRICA

A message from African faith leaders to the 17^th Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), from 29 November – 9 December 2011 in Durban, South Africa.

1. Introduction

Africa is a continent of the faithful. We gathered as African faith leaders at UNEP in Nairobi, Kenya on 7^th and 8^th June 2011, to discuss climate change and how it will be addressed at COP17.

Scientific reports indicate that climate change may well be the greatest threat that humanity has ever faced, with, on current targets, probable increased global warming of 2.5⁰C to 4⁰C by 2100^ⁱ – widely agreed to be disastrous. Yet progress in international negotiations has not matched the scale of the crisis. There appears to be a deadlock between competing political and economic interests from various power blocs. We believe that to break this deadlock, new perspectives are required.

Firstly, economic and political processes have to be based on ecological principles, and not vice versa. There can be no infinite economic or population growth on a finite planet.

Secondly, there is a profound need for a renewed moral vision for the future of humanity and indeed of all life. We debase human beings by seeing them only as economic instruments, and debase the sanctity of life by commodifying it.

We must realise that well-being cannot be equated with material wealth. The quality of life is not dependent on the quantity of material things or growth measured by GDP. Instead, our standard of living depends on our standard of loving and sharing. We cannot sustain a world dominated by profit-seeking, rampant consumerism and gross inequalities, and an atmosphere of competition where the powerful take advantage of the weak without caring for the well-being of every form of life. Development cannot be sustained if the affluent project themselves as examples to be copied by everyone else, and if the poor model their lifestyles on such examples.

These insights draw from the rich moral and spiritual traditions on our continent and elsewhere in the world. Despite the historical violence and disorganisation that Africa has suffered and inflicted on itself, these insights have been transmitted to us by our ancestors who believed in the harmony of vital forces, between human beings and the rest of creation.

In our African spiritual heritage and our diverse faith traditions, trees, flowers, water, soil and animals have always been essential companions of human beings, without which life and being are inconceivable. We express this in different ways through our understanding of the world as God’s own beloved creation, and our sense of place and vocation within it.

Our ways of thinking and feeling deeply influence the world around us. As we find compassion, peace and harmony within ourselves, we will begin to treat the Earth with respect, resist disorder and live in peace with each other, including embracing a binding climate treaty. We pray that compassion will guide these negotiations.

Our commitments as faith leaders

Our African people and nations have to overcome the temptation of seeing ourselves as victims, who have no role and responsibility to play in reversing the current situation – we are part of the solution.

As African faith leaders, our responsibilities will be to:

Set a good example for our faith communities by examining our personal needs and reducing unsustainable consumption.
Lead local communities to understand the threat of climate change and the need to build economies and societies based on a revitalised moral vision.
Draw on our spiritual resources to foster crucial ecological virtues such as wisdom, justice, courage and temperance, and to confront vices such as greed in our own midst.
Acknowledge that climate change has greatly affected already vulnerable people (such as women, children, the elderly, the poor and the disabled), that it worsens existing inequalities and that this places an obligation on faith groups to stand in solidarity with the victims of climate change disasters, showing care, compassion and love.
Plant indigenous trees and promote ecological restoration.

Our message to all world leaders

As citizens, we are asked to put our trust in representatives at COP17 to decide upon our common future. We have no doubt that the Durban COP must decide on a treaty – and second commitment period for the Kyoto Protocol – that is fair, ambitious and legally binding, to ensure the survival of coming generations.

We therefore call on you to:

Commit to the principle of inter-generational equity, the rights of our children for generations to come, and to the rights of Mother Earth as outlined in the Cochabamba declaration.
Refute the myth that action to cut emissions is too expensive, when it is far cheaper than the long-term costs of inaction.
Acknowledge that investments in sustainability are a better guarantor of peace than military spending.
Abandon Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as an indicator of prosperity in favour of indicators that include human wellbeing, equality and the external environmental costs of human economies.
Set clear final targets for phasing out the use of all fossil fuels, and deep interim reductions in carbon emissions that support the target of no more than one degree of global warming.
Ensure that there is sufficient climate finance for adaptation in Africa, additional to existing development aid and that it is governed inclusively and equitably under the United Nations.
Channel sufficient and predictable climate finance and technology from the historic polluting nations, in recognition of their ecological debt, to enable Africa to leapfrog into an age of clean energy technology.
Close the gap between wealthy countries’ pledges to cut warming emissions and what science and equity require.
Assign for wealthy countries emission quotas that are consistent with the full measure of their historical responsibility.

Our message to Africa’s political leaders

We further urge African political leaders, as many of you are members of our faith communities, to take these particular measures:

To regain a united voice and abandon expedient allegiances with blocs that are scrambling to appropriate Africa’s natural resources.

Recognise in all policy statements that our long-term social and economic interests require the stability of our biophysical environment today.

Prioritise measures and adopt policies to resolve environmental degradation in our nations.

Acknowledge and pre-empt the violence at all levels that climate change and environmental degradation is already fueling on the continent.
Adopt and enact land policies that ensure equity and justice for all.
Resist the approval of transactions with exploitative corporations that would cause serious environmental damage.
Promote indigenous tree planting and protection of existing forests, lakes and rivers.
Build much greater capacity within long-standing teams of climate negotiators.
Greatly improve communications within and between African governments, and consultation with civil society, including faith communities, on issues of climate change.

2. Conclusion

Every human generation is faced by particular challenges and opportunities. If we do not secure a stable climate for the sake of future generations, we will be held accountable by them and judged by history.

On this very critical issue of climate change, we must not fail. Every lost moment increases an irreversible threat to life on Earth.

8 June 2011:– This communique was compiled jointly by 130 faith leaders representing Muslim, Christian, Hindu, African traditional, Bahá'í and Buddhist communities from 30 countries across Africa.

i Joeri Rogel, Claudine Chen, Julia Nabel and others, “Analysis of the Copenhagen Accord pledges and its global climatic impacts— a snapshot of dissonant ambitions”, Environmental Research Letters 5 (2010).

VIPsight Archives Africa - Tanzania

7June 2011

GOVERNANCE AND ACCOUNTABILITY

Broadly defined, governance relates to the manner in which public affairs are regulate and conducted to manage resources, deliver essential services, and protect the rights and well-being of all Tanzanians.

Many VoP findings provide data on progress towards achieving MKUKUTA`s goals of good governance and increased accountability, including: the participation of citizens in public affairs; perception of efforts to improve accountability of government officials; access to information and media; popular knowledge and opinions on politics and policies; perception of corruption; and community beliefs about trust, cooperation and security within Tanzanian society.

Participation in public affairs

Participation in public affairs was measured by two major valuables, participation in religion and public affairs, and membership of various organizations. Almost all adult respondents expressed an interest in religion, 93%, and 66% expressed an interest in politics as well as reading and sport, 60% .

Respondents were asked about their current or past membership of various formal and informal organizations (table 1).Half the sample said they had been or were currently members of political parties (kuwa wanachama wa chama cha siasa). The high level of political party membership is a reflection of the keen in politics mentioned above. About a fifth, 19%, respondents said they were members of burial societies, or were traditional security guards sungusungu. Around a tenth, 13%, claimed to be or to have been members of a choir, dance or cultural group, or an informal saving and credit association upatu.

Less than 10% had been a member of a school or water management, a community-based organization, a cooperative society, farmers` association or economic group, or served as a village chairperson, a ward or district councilor. With the exception of membership of an informal savings or credit society, rural respondents were more likely than their urban counterparts to belong to the various associations listed.

Table 1. Membership in organizations by localit

rrentlMembership in organizations ( formerly and/or currently)	Dar es salaam %	Other urban %	Rural areas %	All %
Political party	44	57	50	49
Burial society	17	22	19	19
Traditional security guards (sungusungu)	12	20	21	18
Informal serving and credit group	15	15	11	13
Choir, dance or cultural group	11	15	14	13
Primary school committee	5	9	10	9
Community-based organization	7	10	7	8
Cooperative/farmers` association/economic group	2	4	7	5
Water management committee	2	5	6	5
Village choir, ward/district councilor	2	3	5	4

With the context of participation, respondents were asked whether they had ever been involved in variety of civic activities as listed in Table 2. In general, participation in public affairs is low. Just over fifth , 22%, of rural respondents said that they had participated in a local-level planning exercise, and about 16% had worked in public works projects, typically road building and maintenance. Fewer urban respondents reported having participated in such civic activities.

Table 2 Types of public participation

Type of public participation

Dar es salaam

Other areas

Rural areas

All

Participated in preparing a village/ward plan

Worked on a public works project

Attended a civic

Educational program

Attended a full local

Council meeting

Respondents were also asked whether during the previous year they had requested any information related to state provided services at the district, ward or village or mtaa level and whether they had received information as a result. More respondents had not requested information from public officials at these levels. Table 3 also shows that rural respondent is more likely to ask for information, with 20% of respondents requesting information at the village/mtaa level. 14 % of rural respondents received the information they asked for, while 6% asked for; but did not receive it.

Table 3 requests for Public Information

Information requested from	Dar es salaam %		Other urban %		Rural areas %		All %
Information requested from	Rec`d	Not Rec`d	Rec`d	Not Rec`d	Rec`d Rec`d	Not	Rec`d	Not Rec`d	Total asked
Ward	8	6	8	6	8	5	4	3	7
Village/mtaa	6	4	8	5	14	5	8	5	13
Village/mtaa	6	4	8	5	14	6	10	5	15

Key: Rec`d =Received information required

Not Rec`d =Did not receive information required.

Respondents were asked a number of questions concerning the participation of local-level decision making, which official policy formally promotes. Table 4 reports on people’s feelings about the utility of public engagement in policy and development issues. In all research sites, a small majority of respondents thought that citizens publicly expressing their views make a difference, while 39% thought that government officials do noy listen to what people say.

Table 4 Perception on Whether \participation Makes a Difference

Perception on Whether it is Useful

For People to Attend Public Meetings that Discuss Local Development Issues.

Dar ea salaam

Other urban

Rural areas

All

A People like me make a difference by publicly expressing our views on local issues that affects us.

B Even if people like me express opinions on such issues, government officials do not listen to what we say.

Don’t know/no response

Note: Respondents were asked to choose between statement A and B.

A related question probed respondents feelings about the extent to which citizens should be involved in public affairs (Table 5). The majority.65% of respondents, thought that ordinary people should be involved in decision making concerning basic economic and social development issues that affects their lives. At the same time, just over one quarter, 27%, were of the opinion that despite citizens involvement, it is the government’s responsibility to provide good services and that there is not much that ordinary people do not improve the government’s performance.

Table 5 Perception on Whether People Should Be Involved in Decision Making

About Public Affairs

Perception on \whether People should Participate in Public Affairs

Dar es salaam

Other urban

Rural areas

All

A. Ordinary people should be involved in decision making concerning basic

economic and social development issues

that affect their lives

B. It is the government’s responsibility to provide good services: there is not much that ordinary people can do to improve government’s performance.

Don’t know/no response

Thus, across research sites, adult Tanzanians were much more likely to endorse the formal virtues of public pressure compared to just letting officials “get on with the job”. Most Tanzanians consider participation in decision making a civic virtue, but are rather more skeptical about whether government officials are willing to listen to them.

Information and communication

As have been shown above, most adult Tanzanian are interested in politics and public affairs, a majority believe that public voice makes a difference to state the performance and service provision, and even more think that ordinary people should be involved in monitoring the performance of state actors. A detailed examination of how adult gain acces to information for informal participation is provided in this section.

Adult sampled were asked about their most important source of information on public affairs(Table 6). The radio constituted the most important source of information across the country at 60%, slightly more so in urban than in rural Ares. Newspapers and televisions are much more important success of information in Dar es salaam than in the rest of the country. ‘Words of mouth” is an important source of information for 21% of Tanzanians, in both urban and rural areas. Over all Dra es salaam citizens have much greater access to information than others.

Table 6 Source of Information by Locality

Important Source of Information on Politics, Sports and International Affairs	Dar es salaam %	Other urban	Rural areas %	All %
Radio	67	63	56	60
Word of mouth	19	22	22	21
Newspapers	44	24	7	20
Television	43	20	5	18
Public meetings	7	13	15	12
Church/Mosque	8	11	5	7
NGOs/CBOs	3	3	2	2

Adult were also about how often they acess information available from the main media sources. Table 7 shows that majority of adult Tanzanians listen to the radio frequently. In Dar es salaal where newspapers and televisions are much more easily accessible than else where,43% of these respondents also said they watch television frequently and 44%said they read newspapers frequently. The growing importance of the mobile phones as a means of communication and source of information is demonstrated, with 35% of adult respondents owned mobile phones: 65%in Dar es salaam and 16% in rural areas.

Table 7 Accessing Information Frequently.

Accessing Media Frequently	Dar es salaam %	Other urban %	Rural areas %	All %
Listen to the radio	61	58	52	56
Watch television	40	17	5	17
Read a newspaper	36	21	6	17

The survey of primary school children highlighted important information sharing that of listening. From the research with young primary school children, it is clear that “institutionalized” listening to children is weak. The overwhelming intention of teachers is that, their mode of education is a teacher and not learner centred: the job is to explain well, so that a body of knowledge is understood rather than to facilitate children in a more open ended approach understanding the world they live in.

Only one school in the sample of ten primary schools had an active school council-a baraza. In the rare cases where pupils were presented in school committees; the pupils perception is that they are not seriously listened to. When they are not directly represented, pupils tended not to know about when meetings were held and what was discussed.

Knowledge and Opinions on Policies.

Opinion on selected policy issues were surveyed to asses how well informed people were of recent policy debated and whether they follow up on these.

Nationally, only about two respondents in five 38%said that they had heard of MKUKUTA, and only 34% of rural respondents. Most of these who said they had heard of MKUKUTA thought that it was MKUKUTA`s three clusters which had been presented in a multiple choice format.

Before inviting respondents` opinion son specific policy issues the questionnaire asked whether they had opinions about government policies and performance. Over two-thirds said they did; about 34% (one-third)answered in the negative, more women than men

Table 8 Knowledge of MKUKUTA

Head of MKUKUTA

Dar es salaam

Other urban

Rural areas

All

Yes

Topical issues

Respondents were asked whether mining companies were paying enough taxes, what caused the power crises oh 2006, the pros and cons of relocating machingas (street traders), away from city centers and about foreign aids. About half of the sample of adults had no no opinions about these issues. Of the respondents offering opinions, almost all-96%, were convinced that mining companies should pay more taxes. Opinions were divided on the machinga issue-58%were supportive of the action, where as 34% were critical of the government’s action. Almost three-quarter, 74%, believe the electricity cries was caused by drought. Four out of five,81%, believe that foreign aid mostly benefits government officials, and nearly two-third, 64%, of respondents with an opinion strongly agreed with the view.

Opinions on Government Officials and Political Parties

Performance of Government Representatives

A number of questions were also asked to assess public opinion on the performance of politicians and government officials in the past few years. A majority of adult respondents offered a favorable opinions on the performance of the top leadership, most senior officials and members of parliament. Over 40% of respondents also saw improvement in the performance of local government officials, councilors and village government, and the police.

Multi-Party System

Lastly, the survey asked respondents how they viewed a competitive political system which was introduced in 1992. Respondents are split almost equally between single and multi-party system opinions

Table 9 views of the People on Single Versus Multi-Party Politics

Opinions on Political System

Dar es salaam

Other urban

Rural areas

All

I am glad Tanzania became a multi-party system

I wish Tanzania had remained one party state

Single party/multi-party system

makes little difference

No opinion/ undecided

Accountability

The survey looked whether Tanzanians considered that progress was being made in making the government officials more accountable. To start, adult respondents were asked to think of any thing that had happened in the last three years involving central government or local government officials that suggested to them that services and accountability were improving. About 34% of respondents replied in the affirmative, with the variation between urban and rural areas. An open-ended follow-up requested details regarding these improvements.

By far, the most commonly reported improvement, by 56% of those who said they had noted any improvement, was in education-improved schools, housing, and classrooms.

Questions were asked about leaders` accountability. About 32% of respondents said there were examples of officials being accused of misusing public money and of officials being dismissed for poor performance and corruption. A further 24% cited examples of road improvements resulting from public complaints.

Table 10 Evidence of Accountability

Evidence of accountability

Dar es salaam

Other urban

Rural areas

All

People accused officials of misusing resources intended for development activity or social service

A government official was dismissed

For poor performance or corruption

Complaints about the condition of the roads led rapid repairs

Spending reported government officials was challenged in public meeting

Someone made a reference in public meeting to information posted in a local government office or service point

The survey also asked adult a number of questions about recent challenges they had noted in accountability of public officials and means towards enhancing accountability. Respondents were positive in their assessment of recent trends, especial in government resources to peace, order and security concerns and the quality of public services, with many more noting improvements than had seen deterioration. At the same time, 44% of adults offered no opinion on these questions.

Table 11 Trends in Accountability

Trends in accountability	Dar es salaam %		Other urban %		Rural areas %		All %
Trends in accountability	Inc	Dec	Inc	Dec	Inc	Dec	Inc	Dec
Public order, peace and security	53	4	57	4	54	5	55	4
Quality of basic services	46	4	48	9	42	12	44	9
Respect for the law by government	36	6	43	5	41	6	40	6
Regulating the economy effectively	32	5	40	8	37	8	36	7
Government’s tolerance of criticism	37	7	39	11	34	10	35	9
Newspapers investigating corruption	35	6	31	10	20	11	25	9
Senior politicians and officials held to account	33	6	36	8	30	8	32	8
Performance of Prevention of Corruption Bureau	32	7	35	9	30	9	31	8
Opposition parties impacts on parliament	31	10	27	18	24	19	27	16
Fair/equitable taxation	16	6	18	10	18	10	17	8

Note: Inc=Increase Dec=Decrease

Corruption

Corruption is seen as the major factor undermining good governance. The perception that official corruption is widespread undermines public confidence in state institutions and service providers. This section reviews Tanzanians` perception concerning the pervasiveness of corruption.

Prevalence of Corruption.

About 40% of the adult respondents offered no opinion about the extent of corruption. Of those who did offer an opinion, similar percentage perceive petty corruption to be “very common” or “quite common”-44% of the respondents, or 24 of total adult sample. Grand corruption was perceived to be “very common” or “quite common” by about 41% of those who responded, this would equate to 25% of the total adult sample. Similar results are recorded in political corruption, 40% of those who responded, which represent 26% of the total adult sample. Batter-off, urban respondents are somewhat more likely to perceive corruption as common than the poor and the rural.

Table 12 Views on the Prevalence of Corruption

Corruption is Very Common and/or Quite Common	Dar es salaam %	Other urban %	Rural areas %	All %
Petty corruption
Those who responded, 60% of Respondents	46	46	41	44
Percentage of total sample	22	29	24	24
Grand corruption
Those who responded, 60% of respondents	43	44	38	41
Perception of total sample	24	30	24	25
Political corruption
Those who responded, 60% of respondents	40	40	39	40
Percentage of total sample	23	27	26	26

Respondents were further asked to what extent they think corruption affects their personal and family lives; business and political life in Tanzania. About 45%of respondents thought that corruption affected their lives, 42% business life and 39% political life. Only few, 8% believed corruption does not affect these three aspects of life. Again, significant proportions of respondents offered no opinion on these three topic areas (range between 38% and 43%)

People’s views on the degree of corruption in different service sectors were also collected (Table 13). The police and the legal system stand out as the most corrupt services in public perceptions, with over 40% reporting that theses services are affected by corruption “a lot”. In general, urban perception of public sector corruption is more negative than rural, though differences are generally not significant.

Table 13 Perception of the Extent of Corruption by Sector

Perceived to be Affected by Corruption “A lot”	Dar es salaam %	Other urban %	Rural areas %	All %
The police	48	51	44	46
Legal system	43	50	42	44
Heath services	32	40	31	33
Registry and permits	26	30	21	24
Education system	21	26	19	21
Taxation system	21	24	17	19
Utilities	19	20	13	16

Payment of Bribes

Respondents were asked whether they or another household member had contact with various services during the year preceding the survey and whether the bribe was paid. In table 14, column “C ’ represent the proportion of households containing different services providers, and column “B” is the proportion of those contacts in which a bribe was paid.

Table 14 Contacts with Service Providers and Payment of Bribes

Service Provider	Dar es salaam %		Other urban %		Rural areas %
Service Provider	Con	Bri	Con	Bri	Con	Bri
The police	20	55	9	33	9	33
Legal system	14	43	9	22	9	22
Registry and permits	14	29	6	17	6	17
Taxation system	7	14	4	0	4	0
Education system	27	15	31	10	32	3
Utilities	12	17	5	o	5	0
Heath system	42	24	43	9	43	9

Note: Con=proportion of households containing service provider

Bri=proportion there of where a bribe was paid

Again the services where the largest percentage of contacts involved a reported bribe were the police and the legal system. In Dar es salaam, 55% of contacts with police were said to involve the payment of a bribe, and 43% of contacts with the legal system. About 42%of respondents indicated that they or other household members made use of heath services during the preceding year. In Dar es salaam, nearly the quarter of these contacts, 24%, involved payment of a bribe, for other urban and rural residents 9% reported payment of a bribe. Questions were asked of those who reported that they had paid bribes about the amount they had paid. However, the number of respondents was ery low and the large reported payment was wide, making difficult an analysis of these responses.

Bellow are examples of percentages of some people from the focus group discussions that people bribe their way out of police custody, that reporting corruption is considered dangerous and futile, that rights of people traded and bought in the legal system.

Corruption

“Kama mtu unamalalamiko ya rushwa huwa unanyamaza tui. PCB walikuja na kutuachia vipeperushi. Wezi tunaowakamata hua tunawapeleka polisi, ila baada ya siku mbili huwa wanarudi vijijini hivyo rushwa ipo wilayani na mijini sehemu nyingine hasa polisi na mahakamani”

Meaning: “If you have complaints about corruption, you just keep quite. PCB (Prevention of Corruption Bureau) came and gave us brochures. The thieves /robbers ew apprehend are taken to the police, but after two days they come back to the villages; therefore corruption is common at the district level and urban centers, especially to the police and justice system”

Make Focus Group Discussion

“hakuna jinsi serikali si ile ile tu? Afadhali unyamaze, maana ukiripotu ni hatari zaidi unaweza hata kuuawa”

Meaning: “There is no way out, the government is the same, it is better to keep silent, because you endanger your self if you make a report, you can be killed”.

Female Focus Group

“Mzee William and his brother are both watchmen in Dar es salaam. One night in July 2007thieves broke into the compound guarded by mzee William’s brother and stole some of iron sheets. Mzee William’s brother was arrested for aiding the thieves though he maintains he was sleeping. He was formally charged with stealing iron sheets and wood worth TShs 700,000 and looked up. He maintains the stolen materials were not worth a fraction of this amount. Mzee William paid TShs 40,000 for his brother to be released from prison. Mzee William who earns TShs 110.000 a month is worried that he will not be able to find the money needed to find his brother “not guilt” when the case is heard .

A case study from individual life histories, Mikocheni, Dar es Salaam.

Respondents were asked to rate the present’s efforts in taking corruption, the results are shown in Table 15. Nearly 40% of respondents offered opinion. Of those expressing opinions, many more thought the government is doing something in combating corruption than those who thought it is not. Fewer than one in five respondents thought the government’s effort were not effective.

Table 15 Perceptions of the Current Government’s Actions in addressing corruption

Government’s Actions Against Corruption	Dar es salaam %	Other urban %	Rural areas %	All %
Effective	41	48	45	45
Not effective	18	17	18	17
Don`t know/no answer	41	36	38	38

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